Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Volunteerism

It's interesting to see what can occur when a metro area has short commutes and a manageable cost of living (more on that later.) One would expect that the populace would have more time and a world view that does not revolve around finances...i.e. a perfect blend for a high rate of volunteerism and charitable giving. But does this outcome actually occur? Here are two data points which would suggest that the answer is yes:

According to a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service which looked at data from 2010-2012, Rochester had the second highest rate of volunteerism (35.1%) among 51 large metro areas. What makes this statistic even more impressive is that 2013 data showed New York State to have the second lowest rate of volunteerism among all states. Having lived in downstate New York, it's obvious that just getting to work and worrying about what you're going to buy at the mall can be quite time consuming.

The United Way of Greater Rochester exceeded its 2015 fundraising goal. For perspective, the $24.3 million raised was more than the Buffalo and Syracuse areas combined.

Advertisement

Advertisement

About Me

In 2010, my wife and I moved to Rochester, NY. This move was not prompted by necessity, family, or another involuntary factor. We were community physicians, and we could have taken our trades essentially anywhere. Between the two of us, we had lived in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C. We knew a total of zero people in Rochester. Why then would we leave the BosWash corridor for a much maligned city on the fringes of the Rust Belt and in the heart of the Snowbelt?
Because our research had revealed a surprising phenomenon. We had not discovered the dying industrial region that is portrayed by popular perception. To the contrary, we had uncovered a progressive history, artistic excellence, remarkable ingenuity, elite (suburban) public education, and economic determination. How, we asked ourselves, could such an enriching region have such a marginal reputation? We have since termed this discrepancy as the Rochester Phenomenon. While the Rochester Phenomenon has a certain charm, the future of this region depends in part on bridging the gap between perception and reality. It is hoped that this blog can contribute to this process, if even in a miniscule way.